# Cecil's New Mailbag

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-new-mailbag/979447>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [February 7, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-new-mailbag/979447 "2023-02-07T20:19:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-new-mailbag/979447/1 "2023-02-07T20:19:03Z")

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Where is Cecil’s new mailbag?

Each of the new columns ends with the following:

> _After some time off to recharge, Cecil Adams is back! The Master can answer any question. Post questions or topics for investigation in the Cecil’s Columns forum on the Straight Dope Message Board, [boards.straightdope.com/](http://boards.straightdope.com/)._

But historically speaking we’ve never used the Cecil’s Columns forum for questions unless related to an existing column. The forum rules for Cecil’s Columns include this, for example,

> [@PLEASE READ: Forum Rules](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-read-forum-rules/322298/1):
>
> When starting a thread, provide a link to the appropriate column or Staff Report

Obviously if you want to ask Cecil a question on some topic that hasn’t been covered in a previous column or Staff Report, it will be difficult to provide a link. After a month we haven’t seen any _totally new_ questions submitted in the Cecil’s Column forum (there’s [one](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-master-follow-up-on-my-lake-michigan-submarine-question/978509) follow-up question where the previous column couldn’t be found).

Generally, questions _used_ to belong in Factual Questions (formerly General Questions), IMHO, or one of the other subforums that isn’t Cecil’s Columns. I believe questions _for Cecil_ used to be physically mailed in or emailed to [cecil@straightdope.com](mailto:cecil@straightdope.com). The [main website](https://www.straightdope.com/pages/ask-the-straight-dope) states that this email is occassionally checked but it also proves itself outdated by stating that Cecil is still on haitus from 2018.

Where does one go to ask The Master a question today?

~Max

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-new-mailbag/979447/2 "2023-02-11T19:11:50Z")

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I’m going to give this a bump and move it to the Cecil Forum. It is a good question and I don’t know the answer.

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**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2023, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-new-mailbag/979447/3 "2023-02-13T10:37:52Z")

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I hope we don’t simply have them asked as random topics in this forum. I prefer to keep this forum tidy with Cecil’s columns only if for no other reason than it makes subscribing to updates from Cecil straightforward. If all the incoming questions land here, I’ll turn notifications off and probably read fewer columns/answers.